


Sunshine

by hannigramcracker



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Headaches & Migraines, M/M, Sickfic, Vomiting, puke without plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 07:18:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16990494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannigramcracker/pseuds/hannigramcracker
Summary: Rhett goes to work feeling ill, and Link helps him pick up the pieces.





	Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> Read this prompt: 
> 
> A is oversensitive when they're sick, and B doesn't know this. B is confused when A started crying over something that they normally wouldn't be upset about. Bonus if B doesn't know A is sick in the first place
> 
> and here we are, friends.

When Rhett woke up, his head was pounding. He cracked his eyes open and it was still dark in his bedroom. Everything was haloed in the glow from the outside lights, and he knew he had a little longer to sleep. He rolled over, sighing into the dark, and furrowed his brow before closing his eyes again. 

 

The next time Rhett woke, it was to his alarm chiming and vibrating on his bedside table. Face squished hard into the pillow, it was a huge task to reach over and turn it off. Blindly, he swiped at the screen of his phone until the sound stopped. He tucked his arm back under the covers and hunkered down. He was  _ cold  _ and his headache hadn’t gone away. In fact, it had grown considerably. His eyes felt dry and his nose and chest felt full. 

 

He didn’t need this today. 

 

His room was bright,  _ too  _ bright, the sunlight burning his eyes. He turned and Jessie’s side of the bed was empty. He knew it was going to be, but what he would have given for a quiet moment of comfort. She had brought the boys to school and hadn’t returned yet, and even when she did she wouldn’t come back to bed. Rhett knew he couldn’t stay either. He had to get up and go to work, Link was probably already on his way to the office. 

  
At least they weren’t filming today. 

 

The thought was barely a consolation when Rhett shifted to sit up. His head  _ throbbed.  _ Rhett sat on the edge of his bed for a moment, blankets still tangled around his waist, and dropped his head to his hands. He breathed through his nose as much as he could and almost had himself steadied when the alarm on his phone started going off again. 

 

It was jarring, and though the chime was familiar it made Rhett jump. His fingers shook when he turned it off fully this time and the images and colors on his screen blurred and rushed together before his eyes. He locked his phone and shut his eyes hard, rubbing at them with the backs of his hands. 

 

He took a deep breath and stood, barely wobbling on his feet at all. That was a good sign, maybe he was just groggy from sleeping too hard. Maybe once he showered and took some cold medicine from the cabinet just in case he could leave this awful sick feeling behind him. 

 

Rhett followed that train of thought into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He held the knob over the hottest it would go and used the toilet while steam filled up the room. He could already breathe a little easier. The mirror started to fog up as Rhett hopped into the shower and shut the glass door behind him. 

 

He took his time washing his hair and beard, savoring the caress of the warm water on his skin. He washed the soap suds down the drain and turned off the spray, missing the sensation immediately as a chill began to crawl over him again much too soon. He reached out for a towel before stepping out of the shower. He dried his hair with it, put the right amount of product in. He stared at his reflection a little too long in the aftermath, his eyes looked hollow and glassy. Rhett blinked forcefully, trying to bring life back into them, but it didn’t quite work. Defeated, he opened the mirror and pulled out a bottle of horrible tasting cold medicine. He opened it and poured out a dose, holding it up to his own reflection in the mirror.

 

“Sink it.” he mumbled to himself before he swallowed it down. 

 

Immediately, he brushed his teeth to chase the taste away but some of still lingered on the back of his tongue no matter how many times he rinsed. 

 

Getting dressed was a blur of sniffles and almost sneezes. Rhett wasn’t entirely sure he matched completely, but again - they weren’t filming so it didn’t entirely matter. He swore he went through the box of tissues on his dresser just trying to get empty his sinuses, even though he was still sniffling when he got into his car. 

 

He sent Link a text letting him know he was on the way before he started his car and pulled from the driveway. 

 

He only sneezed three times on the way over. 

 

But each sneeze dragged against his sinuses and ratcheted the pain in his head up a little more. 

 

When he turned the car off and stepped out into the parking lot, he felt stunned by the bright sun. It reflected off the blacktop in a way that his sunglasses weren’t helping to combat at all. Rhett sighed as he walked across to the back door, hoping being inside would help his head stop hurting, at least a little bit. He was in for a long day if it didn’t. 

 

He walked into the office, down the surprisingly quiet hallway, and was greeted with an empty room. Rhett threw his keys in the bowl on the table and sat at the desk. He turned the light in the corner on, instead of the big overhead one, and took another deep breath. He was determined to make it through this day, and determined that no one was going to find out he wasn’t feeling his best. The meds would kick in soon enough and it would be like nothing was wrong at all. 

 

Rhett was thinking about moving to the couch, or at least resting his head against the desktop, when Link came into the room. 

 

Link was a whirlwind. Every time he entered any room, all eyes were on him, including Rhett’s. He was always just so fascinated by the way the man moved. Rhett’s attention was forever glued to Link, a moving painting on canvas, a masterpiece that he couldn’t tear his attention from even for a moment. He was nothing but arms and legs, lanky and clumsy. All the makings of a cliched bull in a China shop, but he handled himself with much more constant grace than that. 

Right now, Link was coming into the room with his keys and his laptop bag. He was also carrying a stack of papers that were threatening to topple over at any minute. Somehow, he navigated them to the desk in front of Rhett without dropping one or knocking anything over in the process. 

 

“Mornin’, brother!” Link was cheerful and Rhett wanted to share some of that sunshine. It wouldn’t glare of the parking lot and he could enjoy it, maybe wrap up warm inside of it. 

 

“What do you got there?” Rhett asked, not looking at the papers, but instead at the small patch of hair Link had missed when he shaved that morning. It was nestled beneath his ear and at the top of his jawbone. 

 

“Segment ideas. Some rough drafts from the crew to read over.” Link answered, settling on the couch himself. 

 

Rhett wished he had chosen to sit on the couch. He wanted to press himself up against Link and steal his heat, have him whisper small words in his ear, open his arm and let Rhett settle in. He knew he could get up and go now, but standing seemed like so much work. Instead, he grabbed a paper off the top and Link did the same. 

 

Trying to focus on the typed words on the page was agony. His eyes were stinging no matter how many times he blinked. His head was pounding again, sharply this time, almost in time with his breaths. His chest hurt, felt like he was heaving for breath though he was breathing normally. He tried harder to concentrate, willing the cobwebs to float out of the corners of his awareness, willing the bright pain in his head to stop. All he wanted was to lay down, just press rewind and pause on this day until he felt better. Until his head stopped throbbing like it was in a fucking vice.

 

After a few more moments, Rhett set the paper down, feeling discouraged. He clenched his jaw for a moment, trying to reign in the desire to groan when pain flashed through his head again. It threw a shiver down his spine, leaving cool sweat forming in its wake. 

 

“Link.” He said, his voice sounding rougher than it did last time he used it. Link looked up, but didn’t say anything about how he sounded. If he had, maybe Rhett would have said something different. “Shouldn’t we go through them together?” 

 

Link shrugged and started reading the pitch out loud. Rhett closed his eyes and focused. It was much easier for him this way, he could imagine it in his mind without having to assault his senses any more than he needed to. 

 

At least, it started easier. After having his eyes closed for a few moments, colors began to appear and shift behind his eyelids. It was nauseating, the way they pulsed with the peaks of his pain. Rhett swallowed, his spit tasting stale and somehow  _ still  _ like the terrible cold medicine. It was faint, but just  _ nearly  _ enough to make him gag. 

 

“Rhett?” Link asked, looking at him expectantly. 

 

For a brief second, Rhett thought maybe Link had seen him fighting feebly to keep his stomach in place, to keep his raging head from exploding, and he felt dread explode in his already tumultuous gut. He wasn’t even good enough to work through a cold for  _ one day. _

 

“Rhett.” Link said again, a tiny bit of annoyance creeping into his voice. 

 

Rhett’s breath hitched and he looked back at Link, sure his facial expression was nothing past blank. He knew he needed to say something, give some kind of feedback about what Link had just read to him, but he was coming up empty. He searched for words, but could only find the bits of cotton it felt like his head was stuffed to the brim with. It felt like he was chewing it, it was coming up his throat. 

 

“Were you even listenin’? C’mon, I know it’s early but you could at least pay attention to me.” 

 

“Right. Sorry, brother.” Rhett mumbled, burning with shame and fever. “I drifted a little. Can you read me the last bit back?” 

 

Rhett kept his eyes open as Link read this time, but he could focus on nothing except the way that the wood grain on the desk was shifting and turning. He couldn’t make his eyes focus, everything was fuzzy and blurred with pain. All he wanted was to go home and lay in his dark bedroom and pretend he never tried to come to the office today. 

 

Link was finished reading before Rhett even realized it, and he knew he had no idea what he had said. Again. 

 

“Rhett? Did you leave your brain cells at home today, man? Or are you finally just stupid?” 

 

Link’s voice was playful, the sunshine was still there, but Rhett was too far gone to hear it. 

 

Instead, Rhett’s chest hitched and he squeezed his eyes shut. He grit his teeth as well but it was nothing against the sensation swelling inside of him. He wasn’t good enough for this, he shouldn’t be here, he was letting a stupid cold get in the way of his work, and his best friend was getting angry with him over it. 

 

Before he knew what was happening, tears leaked from the corners of his eyelids. Their saltiness stung his eyes and the dry skin around them. It sent tiny needles into his head and a rough sob escaped from his throat. The motion and sound lit a fire anew in his skull and his hands came up to cover his ears. 

 

“Rhett? Brother?” Link was standing, Rhett could feel him shifting in the small room, coming around behind the desk. 

 

Rhett flinched when Link put his hands on his shoulders. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

 

Rhett turned in the chair to face Link, to look up at him with glassy eyes, an apology of his own dying in his throat. None of this was Link’s fault, and Rhett needed to make sure he knew that. It wasn’t Link’s fault that Rhett couldn’t take the light hearted teasing today, his mind was just scrambling up all its signals. 

 

Before Rhett could say anything, Link was reaching down to wipe a tear from Rhett’s eye. Rhett leaned up into the gesture, and Link cupped his hand against the apple of Rhett’s cheek. Link took in a sharp breath before his hand from Rhett’s cheek to his forehead. Link’s hand was cold there, and Rhett moved away instinctively. 

 

“You’re burnin’ up, brother.” Link murmured, pushing his hand back through Rhett’s hair. Rhett responded to the touch by leaning back in, Link’s other hand reaching out to rest against his shoulder. 

 

“Sorry. Sorry.” Rhett stammered, tears coming fully now, breathless sobs filling the air. He couldn’t stop, even though he wanted to, even though he knew there was no reason to be reacting in this way. Link murmured again, just a sound and no words, before opening his arms for Rhett to lean completely into him. Rhett’s face ended up pillowed in the plaid shirt on Link’s chest, an usual position while they were both still upright. It felt safe. 

 

Link was hushing his cries, wiping his tears, letting him release the confusing and foggy emotion. “You’re okay, Rhett. You don’t need to apologize. Just tell me what’s wrong.” 

 

“M’ head. Hurts.” Rhett mumbled, his voice smaller and rougher still after his tears subsided. 

 

Link clicked his tongue. “Oh, my poor Rhett. I’m gonna take you home.” 

 

Rhett shook his head. “No, no. ‘m okay. We gotta do….things.” Rhett knew they had deadlines, meetings, schedules, but he couldn’t think of a single one off the top of his head. His thoughts were still too jumbled, and truly all he wanted was for Link to bring him home and cuddle down into bed with him until his headache went away. 

 

“Not today, we don’t.” Link cooed. “Gimme your keys. I’ll uber back here for my car later.” 

 

Rhett looked at Link for a moment, eyes wanting to slip closed, mind unable to keep up with the rushing in his ears. He was supposed to disagree, supposed to soldier through the day and then go home to suffer later on his own, but he couldn’t. Instead, he simply nodded, pointing to the dish where they both kept their keys. 

 

Link left Rhett’s side to sweep them up and Rhett turned the light off while he was gone. Or, he tried to. He couldn’t get his thumbs to cooperate with the rest of his fingers to grasp the knob. Soon, Link was behind him, gently touching his shoulder and reaching out to do it for him. 

 

The office was bathed in darkness and Rhett sighed in miniscule relief. Link rubbed one hand down Rhett’s back, applying the smallest bits of pressure on the places that usually hurt. Rhett relaxed into the practiced and sure touch. 

 

“Let’s go, bo.” Link whispered, taking the first steps to lead Rhett out and down the hall. 

 

Rhett followed with clumsy steps, only missing the couch and chair from years of practice walking through this room. He tried not to lean too much of his weight onto Link, he knew he was being supported by Link’s bad shoulder. He wanted to stop and reorient, but every time he paused it seemed like too much work to accomplish.

 

So instead, he just followed Link through the doorway and down the still quiet hall. Rhett wanted to wonder where everyone was, but the shift in light and temperature when they were through the door wiped all thoughts from his mind. He stopped in his tracks, a thready groan escaping his lips, the first one he’d allowed up his throat that day. 

 

“We’re almost there.” Link whispered and his voice washed over Rhett. He was pressing something into Rhett’s hands and it took a moment for him to realize what it was. 

 

Rhett took his sunglasses and placed them on his face without a second thought. It helped. Being outside was hell on his head, but he thought he could make it to the car in mostly one piece now. 

 

And Link was beside him every step of the way, patient and encouraging. Rhett felt his eyes start to prickle again with the sour feeling of guilt at the way he acted early, but he squashed down the fresh tears with each staggering step he took.

 

Once he was sitting in the passenger seat of his own car, Rhett couldn’t really understand how he had started to feel  _ so  _ sick all of a sudden. It hadn’t been nearly this bad when he forced himself to get out of bed. If it had, he would have stayed home altogether. Probably. 

 

Link shut the driver’s side door and it shocked Rhett back into the moment. He watched as Link put his keys in the ignition and leaned back in his seat when he started the engine. The hum was a soothing roar and Rhett didn’t mind the white noise. Link reached for the gear shift before looking over at Rhett. 

 

“Tell me if you need something, okay?” He asked and Rhett nodded. He didn’t really know what he could  _ need  _ while sitting trapped in this car but Link took his response and backed out of the parking space. 

 

Rhett couldn’t  _ wait  _ to get home and get in his warm bed. He was exhausted. He was glad Link had insisted on driving him. There was no way he could have gotten back safely on his own. He closed his eyes under his dark sunglasses and drifted for a few moments.

 

The ride started out uneventful, but after a few moments of swaying in traffic - stopping, starting, swerving - Rhett’s stomach started to bubble up to compete with his head. He sat up from against the seat and wrapped an arm around his middle, groaning through closed lips. The pain in his head spiked, white hot, driving something sharp behind his left eye and down into his throat. Rhett bit his lips and tried to breathe calmly. 

 

Link looked over, an alarmed look settling on his features. “You’re okay. Ten minutes and we’re there.” 

 

Link reached over and placed a broad hand on Rhett’s thigh and squeezed. Rhett tried to lose himself in the sensation of that, of Link’s thumb rubbing his outer thigh. But soon his head started to sway in time with it, and his stomach followed. He closed his eyes again, bringing a hand against his mouth in a fist, pressing hard against his lips as a burp bubbled up. He swallowed harshly, twice, and scrubbed at his lips. He licked them roughly, mustache tickling his tongue. 

 

Rhett’s chest heaved and the back of his jaw went numb. His mouth wanted to  _ open  _ even though he fought to keep it clenched shut. A horrible sound ripped up from his chest, but nothing came of the retch. All at once, Rhett untangled his arms from around himself and lunged at the glove compartment.

 

“Rhett-?” Link asked, fighting to keep his eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. 

 

Rhett opened the compartment with trembling fingers, fingers that wanted to cooperate even less than they did earlier with the lamp. He kept his teeth clenched tight, lips clamped shut, even as his stomach heaved and crawled up his throat. Bile splashed against the back of his tongue and he rifled through the little drawer until his fingers felt crinkled plastic. He tugged, not caring what that pens and napkins fell around his feet as he did. 

 

Rhett barely had the bag shook open when his stomach somersaulted again. Gripping the flimsy handles, he held it open under his mouth, thick drool spilling into it. He spat and the bag crinkled with his breath. 

 

“Oh, Rhett.” Link mumbled, trying to reach over to rub Rhett’s back through another empty heave. 

 

Rhett whined and leaned forward again. His shoulders convulsed to his ears and another belch brought the first stream of bile up with it. It arced into the bag, hitting the bottom with a plop, adding a sickening weight to it that made Rhett gag a second time. More bile came forth, stomach acid burning his throat on the way up. 

 

He heaved again, sick splattering from his mouth. The sunglasses he was wearing dipped down his nose and slid from his ears. He wanted to grab them, but he felt like he couldn’t move his hands from where they held the bag steady. He gagged again, it was a deep thing that came from the bottom of his stomach. He felt each of his muscles contract with the heave and his body stuttered forward without his permission. 

 

The sunglasses fell into the bottom of the bag, already coated with mess. The vomit moved sickeningly, almost splashed with displacement and Rhett’s stomach convulsed again. This time, there was substance to the heave, thick warm vomit splattering on top of what used to be Rhett’s favorite pair of sunglasses. 

 

Rhett didn’t have long to mourn his sunglasses, because once he really started vomiting, it was like he couldn’t stop. Rhett’s stomach wouldn’t stop seizing, he couldn’t stop heaving. There was little to nothing in his stomach, he had skipped breakfast and had a small dinner the night before. He coughed on slightly undigested chunks that rode up on the bile and spit them in the bag as well. 

 

Rhett gasped, finally able to catch his breath. Awareness filtered back to him, and he realized they were in his driveway. Link was running one hand through his sweaty hair and another between his shoulder blades. 

 

“You’re okay, my love.” Link mumbled, rubbing his back diligently. 

 

“How do you puke with glasses?” Rhett asked. His voice sounded far away. Link laughed. 

 

“I usually try to take them off before I go too hard.” He answered. Rhett nodded, thinking his answer made all the sense in the world. 

 

Rhett drew a few more shaking breaths, staring not exactly into but over the now half full bag. 

 

“You think you’re good?” Link asked, nodding to the bag still clutched in Rhett’s hands. 

 

Rhett took a moment to respond, not entirely sure and not wanting to give the wrong answer. “I think so.” 

 

Link nodded and took the bag from Rhett’s fingers. They were stiff when he uncurled them, knuckles cracking. Link tied the bag off and dropped it outside of his open door before coming to help Rhett stand. 

 

Rhett leaned heavily on Link this time, making sure to stand on his strong side. Link helped him to the porch, up the steps, and guided him to hold the railing while he unlocked the door. 

 

“Let’s get you layin’ down, man.” Link said, keeping his voice low, the sunshine still filtering through in rays. 

 

“Couch is fine for now.” Rhett ground out. He would get up and get into bed later, maybe in fifteen minutes, but he just  _ needed  _ to be horizontal as soon as he possibly could. It sounded like heaven. 

 

Link led him there, helped him unlace his shoes, and propped cushions around his head and back. Link hopped on the couch himself, curled up at the foot. Rhett stretched his legs, ankles coming to rest on Link’s lap. Link folded his hands over Rhett’s legs, and Rhett reached one hand down for Link’s. 

 

Link entwined his hand into Rhett’s and rubbed his thumb on the back of his hand. 

 

“I’ll be right here, brother. Rest for now.” 

 

And Rhett did as Link asked. 

**Author's Note:**

> None of the sickfics I write are really shippy....so idk what I'm doing but we keep winding up here, you and I, dear readers.


End file.
